Clip applicator



March 26, 1940. M A @LASER ET AL 2,194,748

CLIP APPLIGATOR Filed April l5, 1937 2 sheets-Sheet 1 -z if@ l 49' Z640l-IIL,"- INVENToRS March 26, 1940. VM. A. GLASER m' AL 2,194,748

CLIP APPLICATOR 2 Sheets-Shea?l 2 Filed April 15, 1957 66 INVENTOR jg-MAAKA ema/2 J Z 5m/5 a 50M Lil) Lli) Patented Mar. 26, 1940 CLIP'APPLICATOR MarkA. Glaser and Leslie C. Isom, i

Los Angeles, Calif.

ApplicationI April 15, 1937, serial No. 137,064.

l1 Claims.

This invention relates to fastening means, and particularly pertainsto aclip applicator.

It is the principal object of the present in vention to provide afastening clip andrneans for applying the same, the clip and itsapplicator being capable of a large number of desirable uses. Forexample, the clips mayv beused in surgical work as a haemostat to blockoff the flow of blood in the veins and arteries, and in which case theapplicator is especially adapted to conveniently apply and remove theclips. It is also an object of the present invention 'to design a deviceof `this character which may apply clips for fastening papers togetheror for markv ing articles, such as when laundry markers or thelike arerequired.

The present inventionl contemplates the provision ci a` simple and novelclip structurewhich may be placed within anvapplicator. the saidapplicator being so designed and arranged as to be in the form of handoperated pliers carrying a magazine for the clips and having associatedtherewith means for consecutively feeding the` clips from the magazineto the jaws of the structure and for holding the fed clip while it isbeing applied.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing the clip applicator withwhich .the present invention is concerned and with the jaws of theapplicator in their opened position. i

Fig. 2 is a View of the applicator as shown in.

Fig. 1 with the jaws in their closed and clamping position. 4

Fig. 3 is a view of the applicator similar to that shown in Fig. l, butshowing the reversed side of the applicator. f

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional View as seen on' the line 4 4 of'Fig. 3and showing the operation of the clip ejector, said ejector beingindicated in its outermost position in solid lines and in its retractedposition in dotted lines.

Fig. 5 is a View in central section and elevation through the applicatoras seen on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and shows theposition of the clipmagazine between the plier elements of the device and the ejector in itsoutermost position.

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 showing the structure with theejector in its retracted position.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view on the line l--l of Fig. 4 snowing theposition of the clips as they are fed forwardly to the clamping jaws.

Fig. 8 is a similar view in section and side` elevation showingavariation of the present invention in which a marking element isassociated with the` clip applying jaws for the` purpose of applyingindicia to the clips or material carried` i thereby, such as would bethe case inr connection 5"' 'with` the use of laundry marks or the like.

' Fig. 9 is a View in elevation indicating the marker as seenY on theline 9-'9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. l0 is a view in perspective showing one oi the clips. 10

. Fig. 1l is an end view of `the magazine as seen on the line ll-ll ofFig. 1.

Fig. l2 is a view showing a form of clip in solid lines and indicatesits reopened position in dotted lines.

. Referring more particularly to the drawings,

' it indicates an upper jaw member and l l indi-` cates aV lower jawmember. The upper rjaw member is formed with a gripping element l2` anda shank I3 which issecured, thereto and is disposed at right angles tothe gripping member to form a clearance space itl. The shank I3 isformed with a slotted opening I5 extending longitudinally of its endportion and which end portion terminates in` an eye it. vThe lower jaw Hhas a gripping face l'l and is relatively thin so far as thickness isconcerned so that it may be easily introduced into coniined spaces. Theend of the gripping jaw Il is formed with an eX- tension I8 throughwhich a slotted opening I9 30 occurs. The upper jaw lll is carried by apair of arms 2t of a handle fork which `are parallel to` each other andextend along opposite sides of the jaw. These fork armsZll are pivotallyconf nected with the jaw member lll by pivot screw 2|. The fork armsZiorm a continuationof an operating handle 22 which occurs upon` theopposite side of the longitudinal center of the forks cross each otherat a point alongthe longitudinal center line oi the applicator and thatthey are pivoted together by a central pivot pin 2t. The arms 2t alsocarry a link pin 2 which entends through the slotted opening i9 of thelower jaw Il. The arms 23 carry a link pin 28 which extends through theslotted opening l5 of' the upper jaw lll. As shown in Fig.`3 a link 29.55

-65 disposed at an angle to each other.

is also engaged by the pins 27 and 23 and is formed with a slottedopening 36 to allow movement of the handles 22 and 25 toward each other,the link being provided to limit movement of the handles away from eachother. The handles 22 and 25 are also connected by draw links 3i and 32.The link 3l is pivotally attached to the handle 22 by a screw 33 and thelink 32 is pivotally attached to the handle 25 by a screw 34. Theselinks at their contiguous ends are pivoted together by a screw 35. Alongitudinally extending clip magazine 36 is disposed between thehandles 22 and 25. This magazine is channel shaped as shown in Fig. 1land has a floor 3l' and side walls 36 and 39. The side walls haveoverhanging anges B0 and 4l. The floor 3l is formed with a centrallongitudinal rib 62. This magazine is adapted to receive a plurality ofclips 63. It will be understood that in their various applications theclips may differ in design but that essentially they are as indicated inFig. 10, where it will be seen that they are formed from a piece of atmetal folded intermediate its ends to provide a pair of legs M- andAlong the area of the fold and at opposite edges of the clips grooves 46are made so that the clips will seat over the rib d2 in the floor of themagazine. The magazine 36 extends longitudinally between the handles 22and 25 and the side wall 38 of the magazine extends along the upper faceof the jaw I! to a point beneath the fastening element lil carried bythe jaw. The side wall has opposite short upturned flanges, one beingthe flange 66 previously described and the other being a complementaryflange 46. The side Wall 39 also extends forwardly and terminates at theforward edge of the recess lll in the jaw Iii. A portion of the backwall is cut away between these forwardly extending portions andterminates in a fork 46 as particularly shown in Fig. 3. The clips 61provided on the front of magazine 36 and are fastened to the sides ofthe jaws Il by screws 63. This holds the front end of the magazine 36.The magazine is also anchored to the jaw il by an angle plate 50 andalso by securing the magazine to the links 3l and 32 by the screw 35. Apusher bar 5l is slidably positioned` within the magazine 36 and followsthe nested'set of clips 63, the rearmost one of which seats within anangle-shaped end groove 52 of the pusher bar. The pusher bar is fittedwith a pin 53 receiving a knob 54 which is connected to a flexible steelelement 55 leading into a drum 56 where a coil spring 51 holds the steelelement under tension and acts to move the pusher bar 5l forwardly inthe magazine 36 to force the clips to an ejecting position. The drum ismounted upon the pivot pin 26. Slidably mounted upon the magazine 36 isa removable carriage 58 provided at its side with a pin 59 to which aspring 66 is attached. The forward end of the spring 60 is fastened intothe eye I6 of the jaw I6 and tends to draw the carriage 56 toward thedischarge end of the magazine. This carriage is provided with a drawbar' 6l which extends through la longitudinal passageway in the carriageand has a catch shoulder 62 at its forward end. This shoulder engagesthe forward end of the carriage. The draw bar 6| is pivotally connectedto the screw 35 and when the handles 22 and 25 are forced toward eachother the links 3l and 32 will move together and force the draw bar 6llongitudinally pulling the carriage 58 toward the end of the magazineagainst the tension of spring 60. A stop 63 limits the forward movementof the carriage 58 as influenced by the spring 66. Carried upon thecarriage 58 is a lock pin 6ft which is mounted upon a spring leaf 65.Formed through the fioor of the magazine 36 at an appropriate place isan opening 66 which receives the lock pin when the carriage is in itsretracted position and temporarily holds the carriage against movementwhile allowing the draw bar 6! to move forwardly as the handles 22 and25 spread away from each other. Slidably mounted through a bearing inthe carriage 58 is a feed bar 6l which is adjustably held to move withthe carriage by the screw 59. This feed bar extends forwardly along theside wall 35i of the magazine and terminates at its forward end in afork 68 which straddles the side wall 33 of the magazine in the space I4of the jaw lli and extends downwardly along opposite sides of the sidewall to a point along the plane of the longitudinal center of themagazine.

The fork 68, as particularly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, terminatesin a pair of angularly disposedfingers 66 and 'i6 which have a slightamount of resiliency and may flex for a purpose to be hereinafterdescribed. The ends of the fingers 66 and 16 are formed with side faces'il and shoulders l2, which shoulders may engage the folded portion ofthe outermost clip 43 within the magazine when the fork 69 is in aretracted position, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. d, and willmove the outermost clip forwardly to the position indicated by solidlines in Fig. 4, Attention is directed to the fact that the faces i2 andil of the jaws l and Il, respectively, are each formed with arectangular recess i3 having a width substantially equal to the width ofthe clips and terminating in end shoulders M, particularly shown in Fig.7 of the drawings. These temporarily retard the outer movement of theoutermost clip as will be hereinafter described. Spring fingers l5 aremounted upon the side walls 38 and 39 of the magazine as shown in Fig. 7and retain the clips within the magazine prior to being selected andejected by the fork 66. A spring 'I6 is interposed between handles 22and 25 and tends to urge the handles to their outermost and separatedpositions.

As previously stated the applicator here disclosed may be used forapplying clips of various types and for various purposes. The clipspreviously described are applied to veins and arteries in surgicaloperations to block 01T the ow of blood. At present the clips used mustbe individually placed in the haemostat forceps by an attendant andhanded to the surgeon. In extensive operations this requires a greatdeal of time. By the structure here disclosed these clips can be appliedas rapidly as desired.

in other applications of this invention clips of slightly different formare provided if desired so that they may be used as markers, such forexample as marking poultry, rabbits and other animals, or the clips maybe used as laundry markers, or for sales tags, in which instance it maybe desirable to apply the same or consecutive marks on a marking fieldcarried by the clip. In order to accomplish this last result it may bedesirable to provide a marking mechanism generally indicated at 8D inFig. 8 of the drawings. This structure comprises a series of markingwheels 8| mounted upon shaft 82 which shaft may be carried in suitablebearings disposed either upon the jaw structure l0 or Il. The markingwheels may be manually set to produce a selected mark or may be actuatedby mechanism connected withthe handles 22 and 25 so that the wheels mayact in the same manner as mechanical counters and consecutively turn outeach actuation of the applicator. It is also to be understood that theclip applicator might be used as an article of office equipment to bindpapers together.

In operation of the present invention the applicator is assembled asshown in the drawings and a nested string of clips is disposed withinthe magazine 36. vThese clips are preferably maintained in their nestedposition by the application of some adhesive or binding material, suchas lacquer, cellophane, or the like.` When the clips are in position thegroove 46 in their fold will straddle the rib l2 in the floor 3l of themagazine and the outer edges of the leaves tand t5 of the clip will restagainst the top and bottom Walls 3S and 39 of the magazine. After theclips have been placed in the magazine 3S the pusher' bar lll is placedin the end of the magazine with the il-shaped portion 52 bearing againstthe rearmost clip. The knob 54 attached to the flexible spring 55 isthen mounted upon the pin 53 of the pusher bar. This creates tension onthe spring and tends to urge the pusher plate forwardly and to force theclips out through the front end of the magazine. `'l'his movement isrestrained, however, by the spring fingers 'i5 as shown in Fig. 'l andtemporarily prevent the clipsxfrorn moving outwardly. When it is desiredto feed a clip from the magazine and to apply it for its intendedpurpose the applicator is grasped in the hand of the operator while itis in the position shown in Fig. l of the drawings. In thisposition itwill be possible for the jaw ll to easily pass under an object uponwhich the clip is to be applied, since this jaw is relatively thin ascompared to the jaw lil. Pressure then may be brought upon the handlesso that the handles will swing toward each other in the direction of thearrows d in Fig. l. Due to the manner in which the handles are linkedtogether and are attached to the jaws lll and li the jaws will be forcedtoward each other while being maintained in a parallel relationship.` Asthe jaws are forced toward *each other the links 3l and 32 will swingtoward each other upon their pivot screw 35, and this screw will move inthe direction of the arrow l2` as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.In this movement the draw bar 6l will be` drawn in thesame direction andsince its shoulder E52 has engaged the forward edge of the carriage 58it will draw the carriage rearwardly along the magazine 36. Thismovement will continue until the catch pin 54 drops into the slot Sli,thus limiting the rearward movement of the carriage 58 and swingingmovement of the handles 22 and 25 in the direction of the arrows a. Asthe carriage moves rearwardly it will draw the feed bar 6l rearwardlyand will retract the fork 58 until the feed fingers BS and l@ move fromthe position indicated by solid lines in Fig. 4 to the positionindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4. These feed fingers S9 and 'lil willthus ride over the folded portion of a clip lit, and the shoulders 'l2on the fingers will abut against the back face of the clip. Theparticular clip engaged is indicated in Fig. 4 at @3a. The

clip when in position between the jaws is indicated at 43. By referenceto Fig. 7 of the drawings it will be seen that the clip 43a abuts at itsforward edges againstthe spring fingers 'l5 which extend through theside walls 38 and 353 `of the magazine. The remaining clips are retainedwithin the magazine by a spring nger 84 having inturned end 85 asparticularly shown in Fig. 4. The feed lingers 69 and Y'lll reach thedotted line position shown in Fig. 4 when the carriage 58 has beenretracted until the pin Sli has come to register within the slot 6E.When pressure on the handles 22 and 25 has been released so that thesehandles may swing in a counter direction to that indicated by arrows dand under the expansive action of the spring lli the forks of thehandles will actto separate the jaws It!` and Il. As these jaws separateadditional tension will be imposed upon the spring lill connected to thecarriage 5B. This will cause the pin @Il to be drawn out of the slot 66and will release the carriage 58, so that it will move forwardly underthe influence of the spring Bil and force the feed bar 61 forwardly. Thefork 6B on the feed bar will then force the clip 43a from its frictionalengagement with the spring fingers 'l5 and 85 and will move it forwardlyuntil its forward edges abut against the shoulder it of the jaws. Thiswill place the cliplta in position to be compressed by the jaws so thatthe leaves lll and 45 will assume the positions indicated by dottedlines when the next closing operation of the jaws takes place. It willthus be seen that by this arrangement the clips may be rapidly andautomatically fed forwardly and instantly applied. It has also beenlearned that by using the forward ends of the jaws as a pair of pliersand squeezing `the folded portion of an applied clip the leaves itl and45 may be caused to spread apart so that the clips may be easilyremoved. ,l

Referring particularly to Fig. 12 a spiral form of clip is shown. Thisclip Sil is bent intermediate its ends and the leg portions 92 areprovided on their inner end surfaces with transversely extending teethand a transverse groove 9i in each of its legs t2 at a point near thefold 93 of the metal. This makes it possible for the clip to be removedeasily by compressing the fold 93.. The legs or leaves 92 will spreadoutwardly releasing the cbject gripped'by the clip. i

It will thus be seen that by the construction here disclosed a simpleand effective clip applicator is provided, which acts automatically tofeedand apply clips by the use of a compact structure, which is wellbalanced to be conveniently handled and operated.

While we have shown thepreferred form of our invention, as now known tous, it will be understood that various changes might be made in thecombination, construction, and arrangement of parts, by those skilled inthe art, without `departing from the spirit of the invention, as

claimed.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

A clip applicator comprising a pair of jaws adapted to move toward `andaway from each other in parallel planes, a pair of handles adapted i'oractuation to impart movement to said jaws, a magazine disposed centrallyof said' handles for receiving clips to be applied by the applicato-r,`clips being in the formof a flat sheet metal stripiolded upon itself toprovide a pair of leaves extending foremost and at angles to each other,and feed means comprising a fork having a pair of fingers at one endthereof the other end thereof n being slidably mounted upon the magazineclip and being connected' to a pair of links associated with the handleswhereby the feed means will be actuated bya partial movement of thehandles toward each other to select the koutermost clip in the magazineand move it to a position between jaws whereby when the jaws are movedinto engagement with each other they will apply pressure to the leavesof the clip and fold them together in a clamping action.

2. A clip applicator comprising a pair of movable jaws, a pair ofhandles associated with said jaws and adapted for actuation to force thejaws toward each other, spring means acting to separate the jaws whenthe handle grasp is released, a clip magazine positioned between thehandles and adapted to guide clips to a position between the jaws, feedngers associated with the clip magazine and acting to select theoutermost one of a series of clips within the magazine and to feed itforwardly to a position between the jaws, means acting to hold a fedclip in a position to be operated on by said jaws, and means for holdingthe remainder of vsaid clips in inoperative position in said magazine.

3. A clip applicator comprising a pair of jaws movable toward and awayfrom each other in a parallel plane, a pair of handles adapted whencompressed to close the jaws, a clip magazine carried by one of saidjaws and extending between the handles to receive a series of clips tobe successively fed from the magazine to said jaw, feed means operablyassociated with the handles for the clips and being slidably mountedupon the magazine for reciprocation by movement of the handles towardeach other to engage a clip in the magazine, and acting to feed saidclip to a point between the jaws when the handles are separated, andmeans for moving the handles and the jaws to their separated positions.

4. A clip applicator comprising a pair of jaws movable toward and awayfrom each other in a parallel plane, a pair of handles adapted whencompressed to close the jaws, a clip magazine carried by one of saidjaws and extending between the handles to receive a series of clips tobe successively fed from the magazine to said jaw, feed means for theclips slidably mounted upon said magazine and adapted to be reciprocatedto engage a clip in the magazine when said handles are moved toward eachother, and acting to feed said clip to a point between the jaws when thehandles are separated, means to move the handles and the jaws to theirseparated positions, and means comprising an adjustable pin associatedwith the clip magazine and the feed means for regulating the forwardmovement of the feed means.

5. A clip applicator comprising a pair of jaws movable toward and awayfrom each other in a parallel plane, a pair of handles connected to saidjaws and acting when compressed to close the jaws, a clip magazinecarried by one of said jaws and extending between the handles to receivea series of clips to be successively fed from the magazine to said jaw,feed means for the clips slidably mounted upon the magazine and adaptedto be reciprocated by a movement of the handles to engage a clip in themagazine when the handles have been moved toward each other and actingto feed said clip to a point between the jaws when said handles aremoved to separated position, means acting to move the handles and thejaws to a separated position, means comprising an adjustable pinassociated with the clip magazine and the feed means for regulating theforward movement of the feed means, and stop means for limiting theretracted movement of said feed means.

6. A clip applicator comprising a pair of jaws having parallel pressurefaces adapted to move toward and away from each other in a parallelmovement, a pair of handles for said jaws adapted to be grasped by thehand of an operator and when forced toward each other closing the jaws,said handles being formed at their forward ends with handle forks, onefork straddling one jaw and the other fork straddling the opposite jaw,means pivoting said handle forks to their respective jaws, meanspivoting the handle forks to each other, means limitng the degree ofseparation of the handles and the jaws, spring means acting to move saidhandles and jaws to a position separated from each other, a magazinedisposed between tne handles and carried by one of said jaws to receiveclips characterized as being formed of a fiat piece of ductile materialfolded upon itself to form a pair of leaves normally bent at an angle toeach other and adapted to be compressed in a gripping position by thejaws, and means connected to a pair of links operably associated withthe handles for consecutively feeding said clips from the magazine to aposition between the jaws incident to 'the movement of said handles,said means including a carriage slidable upon the magazine andlongitudinally between the handles, a feed bar connected therewith, anda pair of yieldable feed lingers carried at the forward end of the feedbar and acting in its retracted position to engage the foremost clip inthe magazine and in its advanced position to feed the clip to a clampingposition between the jaws.

'7. A clip applicator comprising a pair of jaws having relative movementwith each other in parallel, a magazine adapted to receive clips andguide said clips to a position to be operated on by said jaws, feedingmeans slidably mounted on said clip magazine comprising a pair offingers for selectively feeding clips from the magazine to a positionbetween the jaws, and means adapted to simultaneously move the jawstoward and away from an operative position and to actuate said feedingmeans.

8. A clip applicator comprising a pair of movable jaws, a pairof handlesassociated with said jaws and adapted for actuation to force the jawstoward each other, spring means acting to separate the jaws when thehandle grasp is released, a clip magazine positioned between the handlesand adapted to guide clips to a position between the jaws, feed fingersassociated with the clip magazine slidably mounted thereon andarticulately connected by a pair of links to said handles wherebymanipulation of the handles will actuate the feed fingers to select theoutermost one of a series of clips .within the magazine and to feed itforward to a position between the jaws, means acting to hold a fed clipin a position to be operated on by said jaws, and means for holding theremainder of said clips in inoperative position within the clipmagazine.

9. A clip applicator comprising a pair of movable jaws, a pair ofhandles adapted for actuation to force the jaws toward each other,spring means acting to separate the jaws, a clip magazine positionedbetween the handles and adapted to guide clips to a position between thejaws, feed means associated with the clip magazine and acting to selectthe outermost one of the clips and to feed it forwardly to a positionbetween the jaws, means acting to hold a fed clip in position to beoperated on by said jaws, means for holding the remainder of said clipsin inoperative position, and means acting to separate the handles andjaws when pressure is released and to retract the clip feeding means toa position where it will engage a clip in the magazine.

10. A clip applicator for applying clips characterized as beingmade fromal sheet of material folded upon itself to form a pair of leaves adaptedto embrace and be compressed. againsty an article to grip the same, saidapplicator comprising a pair of jaws movable toward and away from eachother and being maintained parallel, receiving means in the opposingfaces of said jaws against which a clip may be positioned, a pair 4ofhandles pivoted together and having end extensions engaging the jaws tomove the same toward and away from each other, a clip magazine extendingbetween the ,handles and'carried by one of said jaws to receive a seriesof clips, carriage means within the magazine, a drawbar connected tosaid f carriage means, a pair of links pivotally connected to saiddrawbar and operably associated with said handles, said combinationacting to urge the clips toward their discharged position between thejaws, means' for holding the foremost clip in position to be operated onby said jaws and preventing the remainderof the clips in the magazinefrom being fed therefrom, and automatic feeding means associated withthe magazine and actuated by movement of the handles to engage theforemost clip in the magazine when the jaws are in a closed position andto feed a clip from the magazine as the jaws move to an opened position.11. A clip applicator for applying clips' characterized as being madefrom a sheet of material folded upon itself to form a pair of leavesadapted to embrace and be compressed against an article to grip thesame, said applicator comprising a pair of jaws movable toward and awayfrom each other and being maintained in a parallel plane, receivingmeans in the opposing faces of said jaws against which a clip may bepositioned, a pair of handles pivoted together and having end extensionsengaging the jaws to move the same toward and away from each other, aclip magazine extending between the handles and carried by one of saidjaws to receive a series of clips, carriage means within the magazine, adrawbar connected to said carriage means, a pair of links. pivotallyconnected to said drawbar and operably associated with said handles,said combination acting to urge the clips toward a discharging positionbetween the jaws, means engaging the foremost clipin the magazine andtemporarily preventing the remainder of the clips from being fed fromsaid magazine, automatic feeding means associated with the magazine andactuated by movement of the handles to engage the foremost clip in themagazine when the jaws are in a closed position and to feed a clip fromthe magazine as the jaws move to an opened position, stop meanscomprising a link `fastened to the forward ends of the handles andhaving a.

slot formed therein associated with a pin actuated by movement of thejaws away from each other whereby a clip fed therebetweenv will be heldin position pending the clamping operation, and spring means acting tomove the jaws to a separated position and the clip feed means to aretracted position.

lMARK A. GLASER.

LESLIE c. IsoM.

